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When the World of Darkness MMO was first announced in November 2006, it was just an idea and we knew that it wouldn't be released any time soon. The chance to play a sandbox game set in the Vampire: The Masquerade universe nevertheless made fans of the series go nuts, but now over six years later we haven't seen much progress on the game. At EVE Fanfest 2013 today, CCP laid the current state of development bare for all to see and showed some plans for the coming year. There are now 70 people on the WoD team, and they've spent the past week working on everything from art tools and server infrastructure to vampire powers and social options.

"You're a powerful, immortal lord of the night. You don't want to stitch a shirt."

Development plans for 2013 include working on out-of-game web-based social tools, clothing systems, and PvE game environments. There are also plans to work on item creation, but direct crafting is probably not on the cards. As the presenter put it, "You're a powerful, immortal lord of the night. You don't want to stitch a shirt." Though the game is still in the pre-production stage, CCP was keen to show off the tools it's made to speed up the development process. "Some of these videos are a bit dry and technical," joked the presenter, but it came across as more real and honest than another trailer or musings on theoretical gameplay.

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breakingdevelopmentDirectX-11dx11eveeve-fanfesteve-fanfest-2013eve-onlineeve-online-fanfesteve-online-fanfest-2013eventevent-coveragefanfestgame-developmentgraphicsicelandmassively-event-coveragerekyjaviksandboxvampirevampire-the-masqueradewodworld-of-darknessworld-of-darkness-onlineFri, 26 Apr 2013 09:00:00 -0400319|20549564http://www.engadget.com/2011/04/19/amd-elevates-the-low-end-with-trio-of-sub-100-cards-radeon-hd/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi
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Graphics card companies don't live and die by the enthusiast market alone. That may be where the glory is, but it's the budget cards that really bring in the bacon. For the entry level, AMD just unleashed a trio of sub-$100 cards, the Radeon HD 6670, 6570, and 6450. How do they perform? Well, let's just say you get what you pay for. Reaction from reviewers has been one of mild indifference. Depending on manufacturer, fan noise does appear to be an issue, possibly precluding the cards from being a viable HTPC choice. Otherwise, even the lowly, $55 6450 is a worthy upgrade over an integrated graphics chip or a two-year-old discrete card, but it can't match the performance of NVIDIA's GT 430, which can be had for only a few dollars more. Consensus was that, with prices of the older 5000 series being slashed, purchasers can get more bang for their GPU buck by sticking with last generation cards (like the Radeon HD 5750) if they're looking for pure gaming prowess. That said, the GDDR5 flavors of the 6670 provide perfectly playable performance on most modern games (it averaged 45 FPS in Call of Duty: Black Ops) for just $99 (the 6570 runs about $79). Just beware those models shipping with GDDR3. Benchmarks galore below.

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645065706670amdbenchmarkedbenchmarksbudgetdiscrete graphicsDiscreteGraphicsDX11gddr5gpugraphicsgraphics cardgraphics cardsGraphicsCardGraphicsCardshd 6450hd 6570hd 6670Hd6450Hd6570Hd6670radeonradeon hdRadeon HD 6000radeon hd 6450radeon hd 6570radeon hd 6670RadeonHdRadeonHd6000RadeonHd6450RadeonHd6570RadeonHd6670reviewreview round upreview round-upReviewRound-upReviewRoundUpreviewsround upround-upRoundUpTue, 19 Apr 2011 17:53:00 -040021|19917728http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/08/amd-launches-radeon-hd-6990-powerhouse-for-699-maintains-worl/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi
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If you're scoring at home, NVIDIA currently holds the lead in single-GPU graphics cards with its GeForce GTX 580, but ATI's dual-chip Radeon HD 5970 has been holding down the absolute speed crown for a good long while. Now, bearing the name of AMD Radeon HD 6990, its successor sidles up to the throne and demands attention as the fastest single expansion board you can plug into your shiny new motherboard. The 6990 boasts a massive 4GB of GDDR5, 3,072 Stream Processors, 64 ROPs, and an 830MHz core clock speed. A dual-BIOS switch will let you crank that clock up to 880MHz with a corresponding increase in voltage, but don't expect to see much overclocking headroom above that.

Reviewers note, alongside their fawning assessment of the world's best performance, that the HD 6990 is a massively power-hungry card (375W TDP) and one that makes quite a bit of noise while going through its herculean tasks. That's in spite of a new vapor chamber cooling system that allegedly supports up to 450W of thermal output. If all this strikes you as a somewhat flawed execution, maybe you'll join us in hoping NVIDIA's imminently upcoming response, dubbed the GTX 590, will be able to offer a neater, more efficient assault on the extreme peaks of graphical performance.

In a birthday letter to DDO's playerbase, Paiz gushes about the game's accomplishments over the past half-decade, including its action-based combat, DX11 graphics and free-to-play transition. But all that is the past, as he talks up the myriad of in-game events that are currently happening in the game, which include fighting off pirates, collecting lost goodies and claiming your rightful booty.

Paiz also expressed excitement about DDO's future, starting with the European F2P edition that's coming soon to the international community. He also hints at several developments that are coming down the pike for the game, such as a new crafting system, high-level adventure packs, and a never-before-seen content system.

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5th-anniversary5th-birthdayadventure-packsanniversaryanniversary-eventbirthdaybooty-is-a-funny-wordddodungeons-and-dragons-onlinedx11fernando-paizfifth-anniversarypiratesturbineturbine-entertainmentMon, 28 Feb 2011 21:00:00 -0500319|19862258http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/22/amd-ships-1-3-million-fusion-apus-35-million-directx-11-gpus-s/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi
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Hey, this interim CEO thing doesn't seem to be too hard at all. Thomas Seifert, the temporary solution to the problem created by Dirk Meyer's departure from AMD's top spot, has had a pretty comfy ride reporting the company's latest quarterly results. The pecuniary numbers themselves ($1.65b revenue, $375m net income) were tame and unexciting, but Seifert got to make a pair of juicy milestone announcements. Firstly, on the mobile and ever-so-efficient front, he noted that 1.3 million Fusion APUs (Accelerated Processing Units) have been shipped to partners since AMD started deliveries in November, and secondly, in terms of discrete graphics chips, he disclosed that the Radeon HD 5000 and HD 6000 series DirectX 11 GPUs have surpassed the 35 million units shipped mark. To give you some perspective on what that means, sales of Nintendo's bestselling Wii console are hovering somewhere around the same figure. So yes, AMD, your wagon has momentum, but shouldn't it have a driver too?

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2010amdannualapucfodirectx 11Directx11dx 11Dx11earningsevergreenfinancialfinancialsfusiongpugraphicsgraphics cardsGraphicsCardsmilestonemillionprocessorsprofitsq4quarterlyradeonresultsshipmentsshippedthomas seifertThomasSeifertSat, 22 Jan 2011 07:57:00 -050021|19811108http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/05/nvidia-makes-geforce-gt-500m-family-official-introduces-gtx-485/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi
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Yes, NVIDIA's naming scheme really is all over the place, but here's what you need to know: as of today, the fastest mobile GPU coming from Jen-Hsun Huang's team will be the GeForce GTX 485. That chip will be equipped with a 256-bit memory interface and GDDR5 RAM and succeed the GTX 480M as the king of the (relatively) mobile castle. Moving up in numbers, but not performance, the new GT 520M, 525M, 540M, 550M, and 555M represent very mild refreshes of their 400M series counterparts. We were initially unimpressed by NVIDIA's decision to keep things stagnant but for some more aggressive clock speeds at the same TDP envelopes, but a recent review of the earlier-launched GT 540M showed appreciable gains from its predecessor, so maybe these graphics gurus actually know what they're doing.

We've gathered some imagery of early units sporting NVIDIA's new graphics hardware -- notably paired with Intel's Sandy Bridge CPUs -- in the galleries below, but we'll surely have more for you as we explore the halls of CES. After all, NVIDIA has an awesome 200 design wins combining its tech with Intel's latest, there should be plenty of previously unseen hardware for us to find. In the mean time, skip past the break to see a couple of benchmark runs showing off NVIDIA's new graphics processors.

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40nm500m500m series500mSeriesacerasusasus n53sAsusN53scesces 2011Ces2011directx 11Directx11dx 11Dx11fermifujitsugeforcegeforce gt 500mGeforceGt500mgfxgpugraphicsgt 500mGt500mgtx 485mGtx485mhands-onlaptop graphicsLaptopGraphicslaunchmobile gpumobile graphicsMobileGpuMobileGraphicsmsin53snvidiaofficialoptimuspackard bellPackardBellphysxreleasevideoWed, 05 Jan 2011 16:00:00 -050021|19777623http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/04/amd-launches-radeon-hd-6000m-series-endows-them-with-hd3d-and-e/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi
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AMD might have let the Radeon HD 6500M and 6300M out a little early, but today marks the formal launch of its new, second-generation DirectX 11 mobile chips, the HD 6000M family. The new arrivals are the HD 6900M / 6800M in the gaming-centric high-end (offering up to 1.3 teraFLOPS of compute power), the HD 6700M / 6600M in the upper midrange, and the HD 6400M to provide mainstream users with all the discrete graphics loving that they desire. The 6000M range introduces AMD's new HD3D hocus pocus, which will allow apps, games and other media to present themselves in 3D to you -- provided devs care to make them so -- while EyeSpeed is a marketing name for a set of technologies designed to improve video streaming and gaming performance by taking on more tasks with the GPU. You'll care about that if you're a big online media consumer and you'll also want to know that AMD has an exclusive on hardware acceleration for DivX video. Full press release awaits after the break.

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6000m6000m series6000mSeriesamdamd eyespeedamd hd3dAmdEyespeedAmdHd3dcesces 2011ces2011directx 11Directx11dx 11Dx11eyespeedgpugraphicshd 6300mhd 6500mhd 6600mhd 6700mhd 6800mhd 6900mhd3dHd6300mHd6500mHd6600mHd6700mHd6800mHd6900mlaptoplaptop gpuLaptopGpulaptopsmobilemobile gpuMobileGpuradeonradeon hd 6000RadeonHd6000Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:42:00 -050021|19785494http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/15/amd-radeon-hd-6970-and-hd-6950-launch-assault-on-enthusiast-gami/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi
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It's taken AMD a long time to refresh the top end of its graphics hardware, but today's culmination to that wait has to be described as somewhat bittersweet. Sweet, because we're finally getting a successor to the venerable HD 5870, one that offers improved power management and tessellation performance at a lower $369 price point, but also bitter because in terms of sheer firepower, the Radeon series doesn't seem to have made quite the leap many of us had hoped for. The new top of AMD's single-GPU pile, the HD 6970, offers 1,536 stream processors, an 880MHz core clock speed, and 2GB of GDDR5 RAM running at 5.5GHz for a total of 176GBps of memory bandwidth. Its partner in crime, the HD 6950, is expected to list at $299, for which saving you'll have to sacrifice some clock speed (down to 800MHz) and processing units (1,408 in total). There's a neat little addition to both new boards: a Dual-BIOS switch that will act like Google's hardware jailbreak toggle on the Cr-48, allowing tweakers to unlock the extra (unprotected by warranty!) performance headroom in their cards.

Early reviews all seem to agree that both the Radeon HD 6970 and HD 6950 have struck a very fine price-to-performance ratio. The 6970 manages to spar with the much pricier GTX 580, but given that it's priced similarly to NVIDIA's GTX 570, it scores plaudits for being a more than viable alternative. The HD 6950 is seen as the real value item here, however, particularly since it occupies a relatively unique spot in the price range, and most reviewers tipped it as their new bang-for-the-buck leader.

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amdbreaking newsBreakingNewscaymandirectx 11Directx11displayportdx 11Dx11enthusiasteyefinitygaminggfxgraphicsgraphics cardgraphics cardsGraphicsCardGraphicsCardshd 6970hd6950Hd6970hdmi 1.4aHdmi1.4ahigh-endlaunchofficialpricepricingradeonradeon hd 6950radeon hd 6970RadeonHd6950RadeonHd6970releasereviewreview roundupReviewRoundupreviewsroundupWed, 15 Dec 2010 00:14:00 -050021|19761021http://wow.joystiq.com/2010/12/06/gearing-up-for-wow-nvidia-video-card-review/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=WoW&ncid=rss_semi
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Whenever you are building or upgrading a gaming computer, one of the first things you think about is the graphics card that is going to be the driving force behind your sweet new rig. As games push the boundaries of graphics, the need for better, bigger, and faster graphics cards has increased. This is based on the idea that the better your graphics are, the better your performance as a gamer will be. Being able to see your opponents before they see you can mark victory over defeat.

Competitive World of Warcraft players are always looking for an edge, whether it is being able to get the drop on your opponents in battleground and arenas, or being able to see that boss ability or spell effect clearly in order to topple that encounter. With each expansion of WoW, the graphics of the game have gotten more robust, more complex and more stunning. Cataclysm brings a brand new graphic engine from the developers at Blizzard that has the ability to produce some truly amazing visuals. The brand new water and light effect that's adding so much depth to the world and all the new models and spell effects being added into the game make for quite the visual feast. Those views come at a cost, though, and many players have started replacing older graphics cards for newer updated models.

Is it really worth it to make sure you have a good graphics card? Does it really make that much of a difference? That's what we're going to talk about today. NVIDIA has been gracious enough to supply us with not one but four graphics cards to compare for you here today, and we would like to take a moment to thank them. We will be looking at the NVIDIA Geforce GTS 450, the Geforce GTX 460, the Geforce GTX 470, and the Geforce GTX 580. These cards were produced by Gigabyte, MSI, Palit, and PNY.

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dx11graphicsmultithreadingnvidianvidia gtx 450nvidia gtx 460nvidia gtx 470Nvidia GTX 580NvidiaGtx450NvidiaGtx460NvidiaGtx470NvidiaGtx580spell-effectsvideo-cardMon, 06 Dec 2010 15:00:00 -050099|19746277http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/11/amd-gpu-roadmap-points-to-a-happy-2011-for-radeon-lovers/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi
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The ATI name might be dead, but Radeon graphics cards are only growing bigger, bolder and better. AMD's recent financial analyst day has made official what many of us already knew or suspected: there'll be three new high-end GPUs forthcoming in the first quarter of 2011. The slides explicitly describe the recently launched HD 6870 / 6850 as mere refreshes, aiming to bring HD 5800 series performance in a more efficient package, but peek beyond them and you'll see an armada of HD 6900 chips just itching to bring the fight to NVIDIA and its newly crowned GTX 580 king of the single-GPU hill. No specs yet, of course, but at least we now know there'll be some fireworks to greet us early in the new year. Oh, and if the mobile realm is more your thing, we've got a shot of AMD's plans on that front waiting for you just after the break.

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amdantillesblackcombcaicoscapilanocaymandirectx 11Directx11dx 11Dx11futuregfxgpugranvillegraphicsgraphics cardsGraphicsCardshardwarehd 6950hd 6970hd 6990Hd6950Hd6970Hd6990plansradeonroadmaprobsonscheduleseymourturkswhistlerThu, 11 Nov 2010 04:01:00 -050021|19712091http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/08/nvidia-geforce-gtx-580-official-512-cuda-cores-1-5gb-of-gddr5/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi
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It might not be November 9 all around the world yet, but NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 580 has already had its spec sheet dished out to the world, courtesy of CyberPower's seemingly early announcement. The new chip will offer a 772MHz clock speed, 512 processing cores, and a 192.4GBps memory bandwidth, courtesy of 1.5GB of GDDR5 clocked at an effective rate of 4GHz. CyberPower is strapping this beast into its finest rigs, and for additional overkill it'll let you SLI up to three of them within one hot and steamy case. Now let's just wait patiently for midnight to roll around and see what the reviewers thought of NVIDIA's next big thing.

Update:CRN has a $499 price for us and a recital of NVIDIA's internal estimate that the GTX 580 bests the GTX 480 by between 20 and 35 percent. It seems, however, that the embargo for this hot new slice of silicon is set for early tomorrow morning, so check back then for the expert review roundup.

Update 2: Lusting to see one on video? How about two side by side? Skip past the break for the eye candy [Thanks, Rolly Carlos!].

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3d vision3dVisionannouncedbreaking newsBreakingNewscudacyberpowerdirectx 11Directx11dx 11Dx11fermigeforcegfxgpugraphicsgraphics cardGraphicsCardgtx 580Gtx580launchmaingearnvidia surroundNvidiaSurroundofficialphysxspecspecsvideoMon, 08 Nov 2010 23:39:00 -050021|19708463http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/07/nvidia-promises-fastest-dx11-gpu-on-the-planet-very-very-soon/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi
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Nobody will be too shocked to hear NVIDIA expects its next flagship GPU to be the fastest that's ever been, but few will have guessed it'd also be one of the company's coolest and quietest. In the first public teasing of its next-gen graphics card (which is almost certain to bear the GeForce GTX 580 name tag), NVIDIA has revealed a new vapor chamber cooling system, which reminds us of Shuttle's ICE CPU cooler -- basically, water sealed within the chamber gets boiled by the hot elements (a copper plate in NVIDIA's case), which forces it to transfer heat away to the bits that are being cooled by the fan, where it chills out and recycles itself back to the boiling plate. The end result, according to NVIDIA, is about seven decibels less vroom relative to the GTX 480, along with lower operational temperatures. Besides that, the company's Tom Petersen also showed off an impressive tessellation demo and the first public display of Call of Duty: Black Ops gameplay, which was powered by this as yet unannounced GPU. Skip past the break to see it all on video.

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black opsBlackOpscall of dutyCallOfDutydesktop graphicsDesktopGraphicsdirectx 11Directx11dx 11Dx11fermigeforcegpugraphicsgraphics cardGraphicsCardgtx 580Gtx580nvidiapdx lanPdxLanpre-launchpre-releaseteaseteasertessellationtom petersenTomPetersenunreleasedvapor chambervapor coolingVaporChamberVaporCoolingvideoworlds fastestWorldsFastestSun, 07 Nov 2010 09:34:00 -050021|19706281http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/15/amd-launching-next-generation-of-radeon-graphics-cards-next-week/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi
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The attentive newshounds over at AnandTech have picked out a golden nugget of disclosure from AMD's earnings call last night, citing CEO Dirk Meyer as saying "we will be launching our second-generation DX11 graphics offerings next week." What he's talking about, of course, is the highly anticipated refresh of the Radeon HD 5000 series, which some recent spec leaks suggested would bring a healthy bump in performance. After announcing the new product line next week, AMD promises to flood the market with "hundreds of thousands of units," which will be shipping before the end of this quarter -- meaning you'll have a Radeon HD 6xxx in time for the holiday gaming craze if you really want it. Can't ask anymore than that, now can we?

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amdamd ceoAmdCeoceodirectx 11Directx11dirk meyerDirkMeyerdx 11Dx11earnings callEarningsCallgfxgpugraphicsgraphics cardgraphics cardsGraphicsCardGraphicsCardsinvestor callInvestorCallnext generationNextGenerationnorthern islandsNorthernIslandsplansradeonrefreshroadmapschedulesouthern islandsSouthernIslandsupcomingupgradeFri, 15 Oct 2010 02:56:00 -040021|19675192http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/11/nvidia-launches-sub-80-geforce-gt-430-for-single-slot-cooler-en/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi
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The graphics card that doesn't require a fridge-sized cooler is turning into something of a rarity nowadays, but we doubt the market for quiet, efficient, and halfway-decent GPUs is ever going to disappear completely. NVIDIA is fleshing out its Fermi family today with a creature that aspires to such epithets, the 96 CUDA core-equipped GT 430. It's a patently humble GPU, as indicated by its $79.99 typical price, 49W TDP, 5.7-inch board length, and single-slot cooler design. Mind you, while those are typically considered positives, they do limit gaming performance quite significantly, with the GT 430 getting roundly beaten by ATI's (sob!) AMD's similarly priced Radeon HD 5670. So what niche is left for this card? Well, it's an upgrade over integrated graphics and it gets you on the 3D bandwagon, but on the whole we're left scratching our voluminous craniums as to why anyone would dodge AMD's more accomplished hardware for NVIDIA's latest. Hit up the reviews below and form your own opinion, if our one doesn't suit your outfit today.

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40nmannouncedbenchmarkedbenchmarkingbenchmarkscheapdirectx 11Directx11dx 11Dx11fermigeforcegeforce gt 430GeforceGt430gf108gfxgpugraphicsgraphics cardGraphicsCardgt 430Gt430home theaterhome theater pcHomeTheaterHomeTheaterPchtpclaunchlow-endlow-powernvidianvidia gt 430NvidiaGt430officialreviewreview roundupReviewRoundupreviewsroundupMon, 11 Oct 2010 21:56:00 -040021|19668257http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/13/nvidia-makes-geforce-gts-450-official-promises-beastly-overcloc/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi
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Say hello to NVIDIA's GF106 core (please pretend you've never met before). The company's third Fermi desktop iteration is described as "a little more than half of the GF104 implementation," which in real terms means 192 CUDA cores versus the GTX 460's 336, reduced memory bandwidth with a 128-bit-wide bus and a lower number of ROPs at 16. These disadvantages are ameliorated by 783MHz graphics and 1566MHz processor clock speeds as well as a much more forgiving power profile -- the new GTS 450 cards will require just the one 6-pin power connector for auxiliary juice. Pricing is aimed squarely at conquering the market currently occupied by ATI's HD 5750, which, as we saw over the weekend, plants the 450 around the $130 mark. You'll have to read the reviews below for confirmation, but NVIDIA promises "awesome" overclocking headroom on its new card, going as far as to suggest stable 900MHz graphics clocks aren't out of the realm of possibility.

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40nmdirectx 11Directx11dx 11Dx11fermigeforcegeforce gts 450GeforceGts450gf106gpugraphicsgraphics cardGraphicsCardgts 450Gts450launchnvidianvidia gts 450NvidiaGts450overclockingreview roundupReviewRoundupreviewsroundupMon, 13 Sep 2010 00:01:00 -040021|19616858http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/08/amd-names-second-bobcat-apu-zacate-shows-off-ontario-die-size/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi
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AMD might still have no actual Fusion product to sell us, but it's added a fresh new codename to the stable of future CPU/GPU hybrids. The Zacate Accelerated Processing Unit is a Bobcat derivative, much like the Ontario, but it operates at a higher TDP of 18W and is intended for ultrathin and mainstream laptops along with power-sipping desktops and all-in-ones. Both it and the Ontario APU will offer two Bobcat cores allied to Radeon graphics capable of performing DirectX 11 instructions, though the Ontario dips all the way down to 9W with the stated aim of punching up netbook and small form factor pc performance. Just for reference, that'll have to compete against Intel's own dual-core solution, the 1.5GHz Atom N550, which scrapes by on just an 8.5W TDP... though, of course, it doesn't integrate the same graphics processing prowess that Ontario promises. The two chips, Ontario and Zacate, will ride AMD's Brazos platform when they finally debut early next year. Until then, enjoy the technicolor die shot after the break.

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Accelerated Processing UnitAcceleratedProcessingUnitamdamd fusionAmdFusionapubobcatbrazoscpudie sizeDieSizedirectx 11Directx11dx 11Dx11fusiongpuifaifa 2010Ifa2010ontarioprocessorsizetdpzacateWed, 08 Sep 2010 09:36:00 -040021|19624941http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/04/pax-2010-counting-down-to-lotros-relaunch-with-turbine/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/04/pax-2010-counting-down-to-lotros-relaunch-with-turbine/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/04/pax-2010-counting-down-to-lotros-relaunch-with-turbine/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Massively#commentsTweetWith the launch of Lord of the Rings Online's biggest patch to date a scant few days away, we touched base with Turbine's Aaron Campbell, Brian Aloisio, and Bob Hess at PAX Prime to see how their nerves are holding up at this point. It is, as Aloisio laughed, akin to launching the game all over again, and LotRO is definitely under close scrutiny because of it.

Many players were surprised to hear that LotRO's free-to-play update was going live much sooner than anticipated, and we asked Campbell whether this was due to a preset schedule or better-than-anticipated beta feedback. He said that they weren't going to release it until it was ready, but by the team's reckoning, the beta process went so smoothly that there was no reason to delay any further.

Compared to the betas for Shadows of Angmar, Mines of Moria and Siege of Mirkwood, the F2P beta -- according to Campbell -- was the most upbeat Turbine's ever had, with far more positive feedback than negative. Hit the jump to hear more and see the latest screenshots and video from PAX.

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aaron-campbellbetabob-hessbrian-aloisioclassddodirectx-11dungeons-and-dragons-onlinedx11enedwaithf2pfeaturedfree-to-playftpgallerygreat-barrowslegendary-itemslord-of-the-rings-onlinelore-masterlotromines-of-moriamonth-of-the-classpaxpax-2010pax-primepax-prime-2010petsrobert-hessrune-keeperscaled-instancesscreenshotsshadows-of-angmarsiege-of-mirkwoodtrailerturbinevanity-petsvideozombie-columbusSat, 04 Sep 2010 12:00:00 -0400319|19620883http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/03/ddo-update-7-bringing-half-elves-half-orcs-and-more/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/03/ddo-update-7-bringing-half-elves-half-orcs-and-more/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/09/03/ddo-update-7-bringing-half-elves-half-orcs-and-more/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Massively#commentsDDO's Update 7 is coming sometime in October, and we spent some time at PAX this morning chatting with members of the Turbine crew. They had some extremely exciting things to tell about Update 7 and sprung more than a few surprises on us. First up were the new races. Yes, that was plural. Half-orcs, the resident tough guys of Stormreach, are the coming race that players have been looking forward to, but Update 7 will also bring half-elves. Half-elves will be a very versatile race, with some special feats that make them ideal for solo builds.

Update 7 is bringing much more in addition to the two new races. There will be a 12-man raid at level 6, the first large raid suitable for players below level 10. It will be added to the Devil Assault Adventure Pack, so if you already own that one, you'll find it within that arc. Devil Assault will also gain epic mode with this update. The raid isn't the end of new content, of course. There's a new adventure pack coming, and this one's free! This level 12 quest arc will send you to solve the long-running mystery of Nat Gann's fate, and it may or may not involve time travel.

There are some updates coming to the UI and basic game that players will definitely enjoy. You'll find a slight change to the UI color, but that's not the best part. The inventory UI has an upgrade that will allow you to sort your items by type, making it much easier to keep things organized. You'll find tabs for each gear type, ingredients, potions, and more. And finally, the auction house got an update that should have DDO fans jumping for joy: search. That's right, Update 7 will bring string search to the auction house. You'll be able to search across categories, choose exact phrases, or be a little more general.

Engine upgrades to enable DX11 graphics, reactive water, hireling AI upgrades, bug fixes, and a few more special surprises round out this exciting update. Want to know more? Keep your eye on Massively -- we'll be taking an in-depth tour of Update 7 later this month!

[Update: To clarify, both of the new races will be available for purchase in the DDO Store.]

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adventure-packauction-housebreakingddoddo-update-7devil-assaultdevil-assault-adventure-packdungeons-and-dragons-onlinedx11graphicshalf-elfhalf-orcpaxpax-2010pax-primepax-prime-2010racesRAIDraidingraidsuiFri, 03 Sep 2010 15:15:00 -0400319|19620728http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/17/eurocom-serves-up-gtx-480m-sli-and-hd-5870-crossfirex-options-s/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi
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It boggles the mind to think that one Fermi GPU could be fit inside a laptop, but two? Eurocom has just outed its 17.3-inch Panther 2.0 mobile gaming station -- which looks like a straight rebadge of the Clevo X7200 -- with the most overpowered set of component choices we've yet seen. You can go SLI with the GTX 480M or NVIDIA's more professionally minded Quadro 5000M, crank up CPU speed to 3.33GHz and beyond with the Core i7-980X from Intel (yes, the desktop variant), stash up to 24GB of onboard RAM, and jack in up to four storage drives, our preference being for the 2TB of SSD goodness option. Of course, if you prefer ATI's Evergreen side of the fence, dual Mobility Radeon HD 5870 GPUs are on tap as well. Sadly, we've no idea how much these spectacular specs will set you back, but launch is set for later this month and you can always call up and get yourself a quote; we're guessing it'll be in five figures.

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5000maticlevoclevo x7200ClevoX7200Core i7-980XCoreI7-980xcrossfirecrossfirexdirectx 11Directx11dual gpuDualGpudx 11Dx11eurocomeurocom pantherEurocomPantherevergreenfermigaming laptopGamingLaptopgpugraphicsgtx 480mGtx480mhd 5870Hd5870laptopmobile gamingmobile gpuMobileGamingMobileGpunvidiaoverpoweredpantherpowerfulquadroquadro 5000mQuadro5000mradeonradeon mobilityRadeonMobilityretailsliworkstationxeonTue, 17 Aug 2010 09:06:00 -040021|19596346http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/12/ati-crossfirex-versus-nvidia-sli-performance-scaling-showdown/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi
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We know who the daddy is when it comes to single-card graphics performance, and we've even witnessed NVIDIA and ATI duking it out with multiple cards before, but this here roundup is what you might call comprehensive. Comparing a mind-boggling 23 different configurations, the Tech Report guys set out to determine the best bang for your DirectX 11 buck. Their conclusion won't shock those of you who've been following the recent love affair between reviewers and NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 460: a pair of these eminently affordable cards regularly outpaced the best single-GPU solutions out there. Slightly more intriguing, however, was the discovery that its elder siblings, the GTX 470 and 480, have improved in performance to the point of being markedly ahead of ATI's Radeon HD 5870, with the blame for this shift being put squarely on the shoulders of NVIDIA's driver update team. Hurry up and give the source a read while it's still fresh, we can't imagine ATI letting this be the status quo for too much longer.

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atibenchmarkingbenchmarkscomparisoncrossfirecrossfire xCrossfireXdesktop graphicsDesktopGraphicsdirectx 11Directx11dx 11Dx11faceofffermifightgeforcegf100gf104gfxgpugraphicsgraphics cardgraphics cardsGraphicsCardGraphicsCardsgtx 460gtx 470gtx 480Gtx460Gtx470Gtx480hd 5770hd 5870Hd5770Hd5870nvidiaradeonshowdownslivalueThu, 12 Aug 2010 09:47:00 -040021|19590640http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/06/18/the-road-to-mordor-enedwaith-exploration-expo/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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E3 is always an exciting time full of announcements, reveals and hundreds of journalists attempting to leech every last drop of information from crafty studios. It's pretty much insane, and if your head isn't exploding from all of the news, trailers, screenshots and surprises, then I'm going to have to ask you to hand in your gamer card.

For Turbine, this year's E3 has been a crucial moment in the company's history. Not only are we seeing them under the Warner Bros. banner in public, but they had to step up and both defend and build off of the revelation of Lord of the Ring Online's new business model. They were smart not to save the announcement itself for E3, because the gaming public and the press needed a bit of time to both digest the news and get past the initial emotional reaction so they could bring the studio thoughtful questions. Turbine's undoubtedly enjoying its fair share of press coverage at E3 because of this, and that's saying something considering all of the other heavy-hitters like Star Wars: The Old Republic, Final Fantasy XIV and Warhammer 40K that are making appearances.

No matter what your feelings are on the F2P model, Turbine's got a lot more for LotRO gamers than just that -- in fact, they've been bombarding us with so much good new stuff that it's hard to know where to start. So let's take a quick tour through 10 exciting additions and updates to the game that they've revealed.

Massively sat down today with the Turbine team at E3 in Los Angeles to take a look at the new Lord of the Rings Online free-to-play content that went into closed beta earlier today. Along with the new cash shop, we got a look at the new playable area Enedwaith that will go live with the Volume 2, Book 3 launch this Fall. The blurred version of the new land map is for those of you who don't like spoilers. Full map and all the details about the next patch after the jump!

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dx11e3-2010enedwaithfeaturedlord-of-the-rings-onlinelotrolotro-storeskirmishskirmishesvol3-book2Wed, 16 Jun 2010 19:30:00 -0400319|19519479http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/07/ati-firepro-v8800-takes-cypress-core-into-workstation-woods-eme/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi
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ATI has just let loose the first professional tier card based on its Cypress XT core, which in itself is part of the company's highly successful Evergreen series of 40nm chips. Boasting 2GB of GDDR5 memory running at 1.15GHz, 1,600 stream processors and an 825MHz core clock speed, the FirePro V8800 is very much an HD 5870 adapted to the demands of the digital creation world, and as such it's no surprise that it also requires the same pair of 6-pin auxiliary power connectors. It also supports DirectX 11 and the fresh new OpenGL 4.0 standard, something those business crazies seem to appreciate, but its killer feature is most probably the price, which -- although steep by common standards -- is $300 less than the $1,800 FirePro V8750 predecessor. Oh, and this card can drive 4 simultaneous displays, but we're kinda used to that by now with ATI -- the real question is how this pup ranks relative to its forebears and NVIDIA competition. The answer, according to the commonly used Maya, SolidWorks and 3ds Max applications, is that the FirePro V8800 simply destroys the V8750 while also generally outpacing the aging Quadro FX 4800. Feels pretty nice to have a straightforward conclusion, doesn't it? Check out the links below for the full disclosure.

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40nmamdatiati fireproati firepro v8800AtiFireproAtiFireproV8800cypressdirectx 11Directx11displayportdx11evergreenfireprofirepro v8800FireproV8800gpugraphicsgraphics cardGraphicsCardhd 5870Hd5870mayaopenglopengl 4Opengl4professionalprofessional graphicsProfessionalGraphicsradeon hd 5870RadeonHd5870v8800workstationworkstation graphicsWorkstationGraphicsWed, 07 Apr 2010 05:38:00 -040021|19429494http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/06/nvidia-gtx-480-makes-benchmarking-debut-matches-ati-hd-5870-per/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi
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We're still not happy with NVIDIA's failure to publish anything on its site alerting users about the doom that may befall them if they switched to the 196.75 drivers, but the company's making an effort to get back into our good books with the first official video of its forthcoming GeForce GTX 480 and even a benchmark run against ATI's flagship single-GPU card, the HD 5870. It looks like you'll need to jack in a pair of auxiliary power connectors -- one 8-pin and one 6-pin -- to power the first Fermi card, as well as plenty of clearance in your case to accommodate its full length (stop giggling!). NVIDIA's benchmarking stressed the GTX 480's superior tesselation performance over the HD 5870, but it was level pegging between the two cards during the more conventional moments. It's all well and good being able to handle extreme amounts of tesselation, but it'll only matter to the end user if game designers use it as extensively as this benchmark did. As ever, wait for the real benchmarks (i.e. games) before deciding who wins, but we're slightly disappointed that NVIDIA's latest and greatest didn't just blow ATI's six-month old right out of the water. Benchmarking result awaits after the break, along with video of the new graphics card and a quick look at NVIDIA's 3D Vision Surround setup. Go fill your eyes.

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3d vision surround3dVisionSurroundamdatibenchmarkbenchmarkingdemodirectx 11Directx11dx 11Dx11fermigeforcegeforce gtx 480GeforceGtx480gf100gpugraphics cardGraphicsCardgtx 380Gtx380gtx480hardwarehd 5870Hd5870high-endnvidianvidia ferminvidia gf100nvidia gtx 480NvidiaFermiNvidiaGf100NvidiaGtx480radeon hd 5870RadeonHd5870tesselationunigineunigine heavenUnigineHeavenvideoSat, 06 Mar 2010 07:34:00 -050021|19386056http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/22/anandtech-goes-behind-the-scenes-of-atis-rv870-evergreen-gpu/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi
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Anyone familiar with the constantly shifting release dates and delays that characterize GPU refresh cycles will have been impressed by ATI's execution of the Evergreen series release. Starting out at the top with its uber-performance parts, the company kept to an aggressive schedule over the winter and can now boast a fullyfleshedout family of DirectX 11 graphics processors built under a 40nm process. The fact that NVIDIA has yet to give us even one DX11 product is testament to the enormity of this feat. But as dedicated geeks we want more than just the achievements, we want to know the ins and outs of ATI's resurgence and the decisions that led to its present position of being the market leader in features and mindshare, if not sales. To sate that curiosity, we have our good friend Anand Shimpi with a frankly unmissable retrospective on the development of the RV870 GPU that was to become the Evergreen chips we know today. He delves into the internal planning changes that took place after the delay of the R5xx series, the balancing of marketing and engineering ambitions, and even a bit of info on features that didn't quite make it into the HD 5xxx range. Hit the source link for all that precious knowledge.